Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Community Development Supporting Ecological Conversion, As Identified In Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home, Anne Jennings

Theses

In this extraordinary time of multiple, intersecting crises with compounded costs in social, economic, and environmental degradation, calls for transformative change are emerging from all levels of humanity – global to local. Within that setting, my study concentrated on investigating change at a local level to address the research question ’How can community development theory and practice contribute to ecological conversion, as identified in Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home?’

Since its release, Laudato Si’ has provoked considerable academic/theological and scientific/environmental debate that does not necessarily contain local people’s views and everyday lived experiences, given their often-limited access …

Investment Climate And Foreign Direct Investment In Africa: The Role Of Ease Of Doing Business, Angelica E. Njuguna, Emmanuel Nnadozie

Journal of African Trade

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between the ease of doing business, as one of the investment climate indicators, and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Africa. It uses instrumental variable estimation and the control function approach to correct for possible endogeneity between FDI and the ease of doing business as well as economic growth. The study uncovers evidence that the ease of doing business plays a positive role in attracting FDI. The findings support African countries’ attempts to invest in improving their business environment to attract favorable FDI.

Economic Integration Agreements And Export Survival In Ghana, Kwabena Nkansah, Paul Owusu Takyi, Daniel Sakyi, Frank Adusah-Poku

Journal of African Trade

Abstract This study examines the effect of regional integration—specifically, that of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as an economic integration agreement—on the survival rate of Ghana’s exports. It employs a discrete-time complementary log–log hazard model with a random effects estimation technique and Kaplan–Meier estimates of the survival function, using data spanning from 1996–2018. The findings from the study indicate that ECOWAS has a significantly negative impact on the hazard rate of Ghana’s exports, implying that ECOWAS as an economic integration agreement increases the survival rate of Ghana’s exports for both aggregate exports and commodity-specific ones. Additionally, the …

Student Reflections On Information Literacy Experiences In School Settings, Hope Y. Kelly Phd

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

During an undergraduate “Digital Technology & Communication” class offered for three years, students engaged in a discussion forum where they reflected on how information literacy skills were developed in K-12 settings. Using a content analysis protocol developed for online discussion forums, an analysis of critical thinking on the topic is presented.

Objectives/Takeaways

• Examine the application of a content analysis protocol as applied to online discussion forums to evaluate indicators of critical thinking among students.

• Review the perceptions of K-12 information literacy instruction amongst students that attended Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson and Orange public schools in Virginia.

Additional Information: …

Workplace Information Literacy: Current State Of Research Published From South-Asia, Haleema Saadia, Muhammad Asif Naveed

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper intended to provide and critical and analytical review of research on workplace information literacy published form South-Asia with a view to inform policy and practice. Library, Information Science and Technological Abstracts (LISTA) was searched to identify the key studies published in the proposed research area using multiple keywords. The search process resulted in 384 citations which was screened for duplication and relevance. As a result, 375 citations were excluded due to duplication and non-relevance. Only nine citations remained to deal with for review. The reference lists of these citations were also examined to identify more related citations which …

Evaluation Of The Utilization Of Electronic Filing System As Information Retrieval Medium At The Records Centre Unit Of The Ministry Of Environment And Forestry, Indonesia, Nilam Ananda Putri, Muhammad Azwar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Electronic Filing System is a form of concrete application of information technology in archival institutions. This system is used to facilitate and speed up the work of archivists. In practice, this system needs to be evaluated. This study aims to evaluate the utilization of the Electronic Filing System as an information retrieval information medium at the Records Center Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and to provide solutions on how to overcome various existing obstacles. This type of research is descriptive with a quantitative approach. Sampling using a non-probability technique with saturated sampling. The …

Bajo Condiciones Impuestas: Los Indios Guaymíes Y Las Multinacionales Mineras En Panamá, Chris N. Gjording, Milton Machuca-Galvez

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Esta es la traducción al castellano del libro “Conditions Not of Their Choosing: The Guaymí Indians and Mining Multinationals in Panama” de Chris N. Gjording, publicado en 1991 por Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. Traductor: Milton Machuca-Galvez.

A finales de la década de los 70 y principios de los 80, Gjording (1932-1993), antropólogo y sacerdote jesuita estadounidense, hizo trabajo de campo con el pueblo guaymí del oeste de Panamá. Este trabajo fue el tema de su tesis doctoral, que luego se transformaría en libro.

El volumen trata los conflictos en torno al proyecto minero de cobre Cerro Colorado en Panamá …

Hegemonic Instability? India’S Himalayan Hegemony In Theoretical And Historical Perspective, Philip Hultquist Ph.D., Prakash Adhikari Ph.D.

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Is India the regional hegemon of South Asia? If so, what kind of hegemon is it? India has long been considered the regional hegemon of South Asia, primarily based on relative power considerations alone. We critique this material basis for hegemony. Hegemons must act to establish their hegemony, and smaller states must acquiesce to some degree to establish the relationship. We follow the literature to identify three strands of behavioral definitions of regional hegemony—leadership, domination, and sphere of influence—each drawing on different theoretical foundations, liberalism, realism, and imperialism, respectively. India has demonstrated characteristics of each, depending on the period and …

The Continuation Of Civil War By Other Means? Post-Conflict Peacebuilding In Nepal, Supplemental Materials, Prakash Adhikari Ph.D., Wendy L. Hansen Ph.D., Adnan Shahid

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This document provides a deeper description of the data and additional robustness checks on the data analysis reported in the article titled, ‘The Continuation of Civil War by Other Means?: Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Nepal,’ published in the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.

An Anatomy Of Nepal's Remarkable Export Decline, Rishi Sharma

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This paper documents and breaks down a remarkable decline in Nepal's exports over the 2000-2019 period. This decline is due to a collapse in the country's top export products and is largely uniform across destinations and products. Furthermore, it is not on account of the poor global performance of the sectors Nepal was specialized in but is something more specific to Nepal. Industry-level statistics show that gross output increased in major exporting industries while value-added grew slower or declined. The increase in gross output together with the decline in exports implies a movement towards producing for domestic consumption using more …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol. 47-D, No. 1, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

Suggestions for New Year's Resolutions

Renuncia El Director De Prisiones De EE.UU.

The Least Read Part of the Newsletter

New CURE Chapter

An Anniversary

Scoping The Potential For A Digital Led Recovery From Covid-19 In Africa, Rashmi Banga, Karishma Banga

Journal of African Trade

Abstract In this paper, we analyse the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Africa's trade in digitizable products, digitally deliverable services (DDSs), and e-commerce, and we outline the challenges of a digitally led recovery from the pandemic for African countries. The analysis is based on macro- and micro-level data and a review of extant literature. We find that almost 60% of the global exports of digital products in 2020 originated from the EU, with another 16% from North America. Africa's share in global exports of digital products, by contrast, was less than 1%. In the case of intra-Africa trade, exports …

Effects Of Icts On The Terms Of Trade Of Sub-Saharan African Economies, Fabrice Nzepang, Saturnin Bertrand Nguenda Anya

Journal of African Trade

Abstract This paper argues that the increasing adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is a factor that improves the terms of trade of sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies. According to new theories of international trade, ICTs can change the terms of trade by increasing productivity, reducing costs, and increasing human capital endowment and specialization. Here, we use World Development Indicators (WDI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data over the period from 2005 to 2017 and a vector autoregression (VAR) model on a panel of 39 SSA countries to illustrate the importance of ICTs in this regard. …

Institutional Quality And Intra-Regional Trade Flows: Evidence From Ecowas, Sebil Olalekan Oshota, Bashir Adelowo Wahab

Journal of African Trade

Abstract Since institutional quality can either create or destroy incentives for individuals to engage in trade, it has become a source of worry to policymakers, as it can limit both intra- and extra-regional trade. Based on this, we empirically analyzed the extent to which national institutional quality affects bilateral trade flows in ECOWAS based on a gravity model for the period from 2000 to 2018. Specifically, the study employs the negative binomial pseudo-maximum likelihood estimator (NBPML). The results reveal that institutional variables with both aggregated and disaggregated measures of the quality of institutions have a significant and positive impact on …

Continuous And Discrete Models For Optimal Harvesting In Fisheries, Nagham Abbas Al Qubbanchee

Masters Theses

"This work focuses on the logistic growth model, where the Gordon-Schaefer model is considered in continuous time. We view the Gordon-Schaefer model as a bioeconomic equation involved in the fishing business, considering biological rates, carrying capacity, and total marginal costs and revenues. In [25], the authors illustrate the analytical solution of the Schaefer model using the integration by parts method and two theorems. The theorems have many assumptions with many different strategies. Due to the nature of the problem, the optimal control system involves many equations and functions, such as the second root of the equation. We concentrate on Theorem …

Developing A Vr Training Model For Improving Transportation Safety Protocols For Rural Areas, Emmanuel Olumide Adeosun

Masters Theses

"This research evaluated the effectiveness of using simulated virtual reality driving environments to improve transportation safety in rural areas. The transportation accident fatality rate is more than double the national average in rural areas and highlights an important opportunity to address these challenges through improved safety protocols and investments. A review of the literature revealed high frequency scenarios that contributed the most to fatality or injury accidents. Virtual reality driving simulations were created based on these high frequency events using a specified rural roadway identified with the assistance of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Scenarios considered weather-related conditions, such as …

State Level Trends In Renewable Energy Procurement Via Solar Installation Versus Green Electricity, Eric Michael Hanson

Masters Theses

“In the past 5 years, consumer options for procuring renewable energy have increased, ranging from rooftop solar installation to utility green pricing to Community Choice Aggregation. These options vary in terms of costs and benefits to the consumer as well as grid integration implications. However, little is known regarding how the presence of a wide range of options for utility-scale renewable procurement affects demand for distributed residential solar installations. In theory, there are three possible relationships, (1) positive correlation, where utility-scale and distributed resources complement each other to increase overall production, (2) negative correlation, where utility-scale and distributed resources are …

Industry 4.0 Remanufacturing: A Novel Approach Towards Smart Remanufacturing, Prashansa Ragampeta

Masters Theses

“Smart remanufacturing has become more popular in recent years as a result of its multiple benefits and the growing need for society to encourage a circular economy that leads to sustainability. One of the most common end-of-life (EoL) choices that can lead to a circular economy is remanufacturing. As a result, at the end-of-life stage of a product, it is critical to prioritize this choice over other accessible options because it is the only recovery option that retains the same quality as a new product. This work focuses on the numerous technologies that can aid in the improvement of smart …

Inspiration On Social Media: Applying An Entertainment Perspective To Longitudinally Explore Mental Health And Well-Being, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Arthur A. Raney, Mary Beth Oliver, Katherine R. Dale, Danyang Zhao, Dominik Neumann, Russell B. Clayton, Alysia A. Hendry

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

The conditions under which social media use impacts well-being and mental health are complex. The current 10-day longitudinal quasi-experiment (student sample, N = 111) applied an entertainment theory lens to explore the effects of active posting and engaging with hedonic or inspiring Facebook content (vs. passive browsing) on young people’s eudaimonic well-being (levels of connectedness to humanity, love, compassion, presence of meaning) and mental health (anxiety and depressive symptoms). The results provide tentative evidence that finding and sharing inspiring content to a Facebook group increased love and compassion toward others over time. It also led to more compassion at the …

Using Music Training To Increase Social Responsiveness And Happiness In Children With Autism, Meghan Talarico

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Social skills are imperative for individuals’ success in their daily lives because they are applied in areas such as shared interests and cooperative work and play. This study was a replication with extension of the study on a musical treatment of social skills by Finnigan and Starr (2010). The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of musical and non-musical interventions on the sharing and turn-taking behavior of five children with autism. The participants were four boys and one girl between the ages of 4- and 8-years-old who had a diagnosis of autism and were receiving ABA …

Redesigning Program Assessment For Teaching With Primary Sources: Understanding The Impacts Of Our Work, Jen Hoyer, Kaitlin H. Holt, John Voiklis, Bennett Attaway, Rebecca Joy Norlander

Publications and Research

This article describes how redesigning a program’s assessment practices for teaching with primary sources (TPS) can provide a clear framework for talking about the impact of educators’ work in archives and can provide feedback on how to refine instruction practices for greater results. The authors share a description of their assessment redesign process accompanied by analysis of the implementation of our new assessment tool in the hope others will consider the design and goals of their own assessment practices. The authors’ work demonstrates that reflection on existing tools, development of new goals, and design of new assessment strategies can yield …

Post-Trial Access In Implanted Neural Device Research: Device Maintenance, Abandonment, And Cost, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Michelle T Pham, Katrina A Muñoz, Kristin Kostick-Quenet, Clarissa E Sanchez, Laura Torgerson, Jill Robinson, Stacey Pereira, Simon Outram, Barbara A Koenig, Philip A Starr, Aysegul Gunduz, Kelly D Foote, Michael S Okun, Wayne Goodman, Amy L Mcguire, Peter Zuk

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Clinical trial participants who benefit from experimental neural devices for the treatment of debilitating and otherwise treatment-resistant conditions are generally not ensured continued access to effective therapy or maintenance of devices at the conclusion of trials.

Objective/hypothesis: Post-trial obligations have been extensively examined in the context of drug trials, but there has been little empirical examination of stakeholder perspectives regarding these obligations in the rapidly growing field of neural device research.

Methods: This study examined the perspectives of 44 stakeholders (i.e., 23 researchers and 21 patient-participants) involved in implantable neural device trials.

Results: Researchers were concerned about current post-trial …

Creating A Collaborative Trauma-Informed Interdisciplinary Citywide Victim Services Model Focused On Health Care For Survivors Of Human Trafficking, Juhi Jain, Mackenzie Bennett, Mark D Bailey, Daniel Liaou, Sheri-Ann O Kaltiso, Jordan Greenbaum, Kimberly Williams, Mollie R Gordon, Melissa I M Torres, Phuong T Nguyen, John H Coverdale, Victor Williams, Cayla Hari, Samantha Rodriguez, Temilola Salami, Jonell E Potter

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Although human trafficking is recognized as a public health issue, research on the health effects of human trafficking and best intervention practices is limited. We describe 2 citywide collaborative victim services models, the THRIVE (Trafficking, Healthcare, Resources, and Interdisciplinary Victim Services and Education) Clinic at the University of Miami and Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida, and the Greater Houston Area Pathways for Advocacy-based, Trauma-Informed Healthcare (PATH) Collaborative at Baylor College of Medicine, CommonSpirit Health, and San Jose Clinic in Houston, Texas, funded in part by the Office for Victims of Crime, which focus on trauma-informed health care delivery for …

Investigation Of Urinary Metabolomics In A Phase I Hookworm Vaccine Trial In Gabon, Madeleine Eunice Betouke Ongwe, Yoanne D Mouwenda, Koen A Stam, Peter G Kremsner, Bertrand Lell, David Diemert, Jeff Bethony, Maria E Bottazzi, Peter J Hotez, Remko V Leeuwen, Martin P Grobusch, Ayola A Adegnika, Oleg A Mayboroda, Maria Yazdanbakhsh

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Metabolomics provides a powerful tool to study physiological changes in response to various perturbations such as vaccination. We explored whether metabolomic changes could be seen after vaccination in a phase I trial where Gabonese adults living either in rural or semi-urban areas received the subunit hookworm vaccine candidates (Na-GST-1 and Na-APR-1 (M74) adjuvanted with Alhydrogel plus GLA-AF (n = 24) or the hepatitis B vaccine (n = 8) as control. Urine samples were collected and assayed using targeted 1H NMR spectroscopy. At baseline, a set of metabolites significantly distinguished rural from semi-urban individuals. The pre- and post-vaccination comparisons indicated significant …

Understanding Spiritual Well-Being Among Critical Incident Stress Management-Trained First Responders, Harvey Burnett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sheltered Cohort: A Restorative Approach To Relational Conflict And Disempowering Policies At A Men’S Homeless Shelter, Shaun A. Sletten

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Although homeless shelters provide refuge, they also present several challenges that can negatively affect an individual's sense of internal and external control. A mix-method design was used to explore and address these challenges. Participants (N = 12) were recruited from a men’s homeless shelter via the snowball method. To identify the challenges, in-person, semistructured interviews were conducted. Participants discussed barriers that included being around others who displayed abnormal and deviant behavior, and disparaging policies that censored and restricted basic decision-making processes. Once the challenges were identified, a restorative technique called circles was utilized to increase participants' self-efficacy and satisfaction …

Missouri Soybean Exports And The Democratizing Market Force, David D. Hammons

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A commonly held assumption of America’s post-Cold War place in the world is that prolonged contact with American capitalism and democracy will lead to the adoption of these systems in all nations that participate in international trade. This paper attempts to verify or disprove that assumption by examining a specific traded commodity between two specific nations, the institutions that support this trade, and the people actively participating in it. The growth of soybean exports from the state of Missouri provides this vehicle for examining the trade history between the United States of America and China, and provides evidence that disproves …

Is More, Better? Relationships Of Multiple Psychological Well-Being Facets With Cardiometabolic Disease, Anna-Josée Guimond, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Julia K. Boehm, Farah Qureshi, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Assessments of psychological well-being taken at one time point are linked to reduced cardiometabolic risk, but psychological well-being may change over time and how longitudinal trajectories of psychological well-being may be related to CMD risk remains unclear. Furthermore, psychological well-being is a multidimensional construct comprised of distinct facets, but no work has examined whether sustaining high levels of multiple facets may confer additive protection. This study tested if trajectories of four psychological well-being facets would be associated with lower risk of self-reported nonfatal CMD. Method: Participants were …

The Detrimental Impact Of Alcohol Intoxication On Facets Of Miranda Comprehension, Amelia Mindthoff, Jacqueline R. Evans, Andrea C. F. Wolfs, Karina Polanco, Naomi E. S. Goldstein, Nadja Schreiber Compo

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Law enforcement officers often encounter alcohol-intoxicated suspects, suggesting that many suspects are presented with the challenge of grasping the meaning and significance of their Miranda rights while intoxicated. Such comprehension is crucial, given that Miranda is intended to minimize the likelihood of coercive interrogations resulting in self-incrimination and protect suspects’ constitutional rights. Yet, the effects of alcohol on individuals’ ability to understand and appreciate their Miranda rights remain unknown—a gap that the present study sought to address. Hypotheses: Informed by alcohol myopia theory (AMT), we predicted that intoxicated individuals would demonstrate impaired Miranda comprehension compared to sober …

Findings And Implications From A Project On White Supremacist Entry And Exit Pathways, Matthew Demichele, Wesley S. Mccann, Kathleen Blee, Peter Simi

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

This Research Note provides an overview of the main findings from a project on white supremacist pathways - or why some individuals join and leave white supremacist groups - with a specific focus on elucidating common themes, theoretical applications, main takeaways, and providing recommendations for academics and policymakers. One key lesson is that identity is central to entry and exit pathways.